Founded in 2019, Isle of Wight’s Wet Leg have experienced a dizzying rise to the top since the release of their debut Wet Leg in April 2022.
Wet Leg achieved number one spots on the UK Album Charts, Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart and the Scottish Albums Chart. The album then won Best Alternative Music Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Oh, the band also won Best New Artist and Best British Group at the 2023 Brit Awards. You see where this is going?
To put it simply, Wet Leg is a ridiculously enjoyable album. It’s catchy as hell, full of great hooks and lyrics that capture, among other things, the ups and downs of relationships perfectly.
Right off the bat we’re treated to the deliciously poppy ‘Being In Love’ with its indie/punk edge. Rhian Teasdale, who provides lead vocals for all but one track, showcases her deadpan delivery which further accentuates the lyrics (“I tried to meditate, but I just medicate/Pour me another drink, don’t wanna have to think”). ‘Chaise Longue’, the band’s first released single, follows with its suggestive lyrics, glorious bass and later, tasty guitar.
You know that house party you couldn’t wait to escape? Well, Teasdale and Hester Chambers know the feeling because they’ve captured it perfectly in the wonderful ‘Angelica’. There’s something all too familiar about not wanting to listen to some narcissist’s shitty band or the lyrics “I look at my hands, then I look for the door/Can’t help but feel like I’ve been here before’. Skip along to ‘I Don’t Wanna Go Out’ and while that song is still ringing happily in your ears you’re into the unforgettable ‘Wet Dream’. Reminiscent of the early 2000s and the glory days of The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teasdale wrote the lyrics after an ex kept pestering her with texts about how they had wet dreams about her. What better inspiration could you ask for?
It would be unfair and untrue to say there are “standout tracks” on Wet Leg, as the fact is it’s an album with no bad song. ‘Piece of Shit’, slotted in towards the end of the album, is folksy, quirky and funny in that the antagonist gets compared to floating excrement. Do those things work together? You bet – it’s a banger.
‘Loving You’ details an ex-partner moving on and finding someone new. You can’t help but sing along to this one with lyrics like “You say you think about mе in the midnight hour/I know that you’re just rubbin’ one out up in the shower/Honey, sorry if I seem a little bit upset/When you try calling me crazy ’cause I’m not DTF”.
Then there are the others tracks released as singles: ‘Ur Mum’, ‘Oh No’ and the album closer and absolute peach, ‘Too Late Now’. Again, all cracking songs in their own right, jam-packed with stories we’re all too think of as our own.
More on Wet Leg
Wet Leg are everywhere, so for everything, just visit their website.
G.M
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